DISPLAYS
Public shows are safer
London Fire Brigade recommends a public display over buying your own: bigger, more fun and a lot safer.
See the numbers
WHAT THE GUIDANCE SAYS
Light it,
then stand back.
A garden display is a small explosion, done slowly.
UK guidance comes back to a few simple things: buy the right category, keep to the times, put real distance between people and the firing point, and treat sparklers as hot metal, not a toy.
F2 · F3 read the box
Check a category- Right category
- Right time
- Right distance
- Simple habits, safer nights
THE SHORT ANSWER
Plan the night
before you light.
Most of the guidance is about choices made
before the first match is struck.
BUYING
Read the box first
Look for a CE or UKCA mark and only buy up to Category 3. Category 4 is for professionals only.
Check a category
SPARKLERS
Gloves, every time
Sparklers burn as hot as a welding torch. Not for under-fives, gloves on, and into a bucket of cold water when done.
How to do itGeneral information only, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, speak to a qualified lawyer or a free advice service.
FOUR HABITS TO TRY
A safer garden
display.
These come straight from London Fire Brigade's safety tips. None of them costs more than a bucket of water.
Plan to finish early
Plan the display so it ends before 11pm, and keep the fireworks in a closed box, using them one at a time.
Read by torchlight
Read the instructions on each firework with a torch, never a match or candle.
Light at arm's length
Use a taper, stand well back and never go back to a firework once it has been lit.
Keep water close
Have a bucket of water or a hosepipe nearby, and put finished sparklers into cold water.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Distance matters,
and so does noise.
One figure on where to stand,
one on how loud the boxes really are.
15–25 m
Minimum spectator distance, F2 to F3
The firework standard cited in government testing puts spectators at least 15 metres from a Category 2 firework and at least 25 metres from a Category 3 one.
SAFE DISTANCE · BS EN 15947
4 of 72
Tested fireworks over the 120 dB limit
Government-commissioned tests of 72 retail fireworks found 4 went above the 120 decibel threshold. All four were batteries of shot tubes, sometimes called cakes.
NOISE TESTS · OPSS
In the same tests, wheels measured between 71 and 99 decibels, while batteries of shot tubes measured between 92 and 121 decibels. Choosing quieter types makes a real difference to neighbours.
A QUICK CATEGORY CHECK
What does the
box say?
Fireworks sold in the UK carry a category from F1 to F4. Pick one to see what it means. The bar shows the hazard level the category describes.
Based on GOV.UK, London Fire Brigade and the OPSS noise testing report. General information, not legal advice.
WHEN AND WHERE
Times and dates
are part of the rules.
GOV.UK says it is against the law to set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, with a midnight cut-off on Bonfire Night and 1am on New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year.
Registered sellers can sell fireworks for private use from 15 October to 10 November, 26 to 31 December, and for 3 days before Diwali and Chinese New Year. You must not set off fireworks in the street or other public places, and your council may have local rules too.
Questions
Questions people ask
How old do you have to be to buy fireworks?
You must be 18 or over to buy adult fireworks, which are Category 2 and 3. Party poppers and similar Category 1 items are not adult fireworks.
What time do fireworks have to stop?
GOV.UK says you must not set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except on Bonfire Night (midnight) and New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year (1am).
Are sparklers safe for young children?
London Fire Brigade says not to give sparklers to children under 5, to wear gloves, to hold them at arm's length and to put them in cold water when finished.
How far away should people stand?
The firework standard cited in OPSS testing sets a minimum spectator distance of 15 metres for Category 2 fireworks and 25 metres for Category 3. Always follow the distance on the box.
Is there a noise limit on fireworks?
Yes. The Fireworks Regulations 2004 ban supplying Category 3 fireworks louder than 120 decibels, measured 15 metres from the firing point.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Fireworks: the law
- London Fire Brigade: Fireworks safety
- OPSS and HSE: Noise Testing of Fireworks, final report (2023)
- legislation.gov.uk: The Fireworks Regulations 2004, regulation 8
Updated